20120407100443 Culturally Responsive Pre-School

8/2/2019 20120407100443 Culturally Responsive Pre-School

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Culturally Responsive Pre-

school/Child-care

Nordin Mamat


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Intro

Malaysia is culturally diverse and has a

complex society with three distinct major

cultural groups: Malay, Chinese and Indian

This is a big challenge for the government to

promote social cohesion and integration

because each of these cultural groups is

inclined to identify with its own culture.


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A cultural group can be described as peoplewho share a sense of identity, customs, andlanguage.

People belonging to a unique ethnic groupmay share a similar culture (Han & Thomas,2010).

The government of Malaysia has a diversifiedprogramme for pre-school to respond tocultural groups.


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Cultural responsiveness

A lack of cultural responsiveness may lead tosignificant misunderstandings resulting inconsequences such as ineffective support for

social development (Kemple, 2004) andpossible social conflict.

There are many benefits in being culturallyresponsive, such as good relationships withpeers, fulfilment, and motivation for socialbehaviour.


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According to Kostelnik, Whiren, Soderman, Stein, &Gregory (2002), developing culturally responsive sensitivity

includes acquiring knowledge, respect, and ability tointeract effectively with people of varying ethnic or racialbackgrounds, and further recognising unfair treatmenttowards them.

Being culturally responsive is the ability to learn from and

relate respectfully with people of your own culture as wellas other cultures.

Culturally responsive pre-school education refers to thecurriculum, teaching and learning, and the activities of pre-schools to reflect cultural background.

The activities of pre-schools settings reflect an awarenessof, and sensitivity to, the lifestyle and cultural backgroundof the children and their family (Kostelnik, et al., 2002).


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Culturally responsive curriculum

A culturally responsive curriculum is designedto recognise and accept the wide range ofcultural differences that exists in every

classroom. Whether in a large, multi-ethnicurban setting or in a small, ruralhomogeneous classroom, students come toschool with an array of life experiences which

has been lived within the context of theirunique cultural setting (Purnell, Ali, Begum, &Carter, 2007, p. 420).


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Culturally responsive teaching

Culturally responsive teaching employs a

pedagogy which accommodates the dynamic

mix of race, ethnicity, class, gender, region,

religion, and family that contribute to every

students cultural identity(Wlodkowski &

Ginsberg, 1995, p. 17).


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Culturally responsive teaching is defined as usingthe cultural characteristics, experiences, andperspectives of ethnically diverse students asconduits for teaching them more effectively(Gay,

2002, p. 112). It is based on the assumption that when

academic knowledge and skills are situatedwithin the lived experiences and frames of

reference of students, they are more personallymeaningful, have higher interest appeal, and arelearned more easily and thoroughly(Gay, 2000).


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Culturally responsive teachers create learningenvironments that respectively reflect each childshome culture, while inviting children to accept andexplore cultures which are unfamiliar to them.

By practising content integration and including highquality multicultural literacy materials as part ofregular classroom activities, teachers model interest in,and acceptance of, difference(Purnell, et al., 2007).

It is crucial to think about how to instruct children in a

multicultural classroom as different behaviours may beperceived as socially competent in diverse culturalcontexts.


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Culturally responsive teaching is often considered as apedagogical paradigm that enables teachers to utilisechildrens cultural strengths in their curriculum andinstruction (Gay, 2000).

In order to become a culturally effective andresponsive teacher, one must (a) be aware of his/her own biases and assumptions about

human behaviour;

(b) acquire knowledge of the particular group of children

with whom they are working; and (c) be able to use culturally appropriate strategies in

working with children from diverse culturalbackgrounds(Han & Thomas, 2010, p. 472).


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A culturally responsive pre-school curriculumcontent is inclusive, meaning it reflects thecultural, ethnic and gender diversity of society.

There should be pre-school programmes andpractices drawn from a childs knowledge,culture, and language which are responsive to theneeds of individuals and their families, which areoften based on their cultural backgrounds.

This helps families and communities to supportthe childrens social behaviour and academicsuccess.


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According to Chen, Wang & DeSouza (2006) in thecollective cultures which include different ethnicgroups, individual need to demonstrate self-controlmay be highly appreciated or valued, because it may

facilitate harmony and cohesiveness in the group.

For example, to maintain interaction in a collectiveculture with three different ethnic groups, individualsneed to demonstrate self-control and restrain personal

desires in an effort to address the needs and interestsof others in order to maintain interpersonal and multi-ethnic harmony.


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Conclusion

In the Malaysia n context, according to Majzub (2006) beingvery aware of the multi-racial nature of Malaysian societywith diversity in culture, religion and language, for examplePERPADUAN Pre-school aspires to unite the three majorethnic groups from the early childhood stage.

She believes that cultural responsiveness such as socialcognition, social skills and respect for other races begin at atender age before formal schooling occurs.

Therefore, in developing and designing a pre-schoolcurriculum, the government of Malaysia has emphasisedthe cultural values of the three ethnic groups in order toinstil pre-school childrens awareness of multiculturalismengendering social cohesion.

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20120407100443 Culturally Responsive Pre-School